


Broken Paths

by ewizabith



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: Blood, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Mana Transfer, Minor Violence, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-05 03:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14608404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ewizabith/pseuds/ewizabith
Summary: Being a survivor of the Chaldea explosion, a young, inexperienced mage is tasked with saving all of humanity along with the help of companions and many servants summoned along the way. However, her life changes forever when she summons a strange red Archer with seemingly no background. Our dear Master is in for a bumpy ride as their relationship evolves on their quest to save humanity.





	1. Prologue

Fire.  
That was all [Name] saw as she looked with horror on the rubble of a broken city. The stifling ash and smoke burned her lungs and eyes, but she couldn't look away at the tragedy that had unfolded on the city of Fuyuki. Blood started to run from under every piece of debris as [Name] began to hear cries for help and prayers for so many deities only to be drowned out in the roaring fires. The voices grew louder until they caused the mage to plop on her knees and stifle tears as she tried to ignore all the painful screams. Blood began pouring out into the fallen city and quickly rose around [Name] until she was completely engulfed in red. Panicking, the girl tried to swim and claw her way out of the liquid but to no avail. Screaming for help, she began to lose her sight and slipped under the crimson waves forever.

[Name] jolted upwards from her white sheets with a yelp, damp with sweat. Pressing a hand to her forehead, her panicked eyes quickly glanced rapidly around her surroundings. Once she realized that she was in her quiet, plain room [Name] breathed a sigh of relief and fell back onto the soft pillows. She glanced over at the digital clock to the right of her bed.  
3:30 am  
[Name] closed her eyes and sighed. 'Why does it have to be this way? Can I not have a night of peace for once..." but in the midst of her thought, a soft knock on the door caught her attention.  
“H-Hello? [Name], are you awake?” the soft voice asked with a hint of worry.  
The mage swung her legs out of bed and softly padded to the door, opening it to find a petite girl with lavender hair covering one eye.  
“Oh, hi Mash. Sorry, did I wake you?” [Name] sheepishly smiled.  
Mash merely furrowed her brow. “Is it those nightmares again?”  
The girl sighed and nodded “Yes… it seems since the first Singularity we cleared, I’ve been seeing nothing but destruction. I just can’t shake the images of death and fire no matter how hard I try.” It had almost been 3 days since Mash’s transformation and their Rayshift to the destroyed Fuyuki.  
The Demi-Servant frowned and asked to come in, which [Name] granted. “Master, I’m really concerned for your health. Maybe we should ask Dr. Roman to get you something if it helps?” The (h/c) girl merely shook her head gently. “I’ll be fine Mash, maybe entering a new Singularity would help with distracting me from the previous one? Maybe we should try summoning a servant to help? I don’t know, I just need a distraction right now.” [Name] placed her head in her hands. Mash placed one hand on her friend’s back in consolation “We can try those in the morning, but for now please get some rest before morning! Goodnight [Name].” Mash walked out of the room and smiled one more time at the mage before returning to her room next door.  
[Name] smiled back at the lavender-haired girl, thanked her and took another deep breath before closing her door. Falling face-first on her bed, [Name]’s head was racing with thoughts and ideas from the past few days before falling into another slumber.  
Time to see what the new day would hold for her.


	2. To The Beginning

A slight, warm pressure on [Name]’s chest caused her eyes to flutter open to match the gaze of a certain animal. Fou delightfully began to nuzzle the mage’s face as [Name] squinted and tried to orientate herself before lifting Fou and placing the creature next to her as she pet its head. Standing from the warm bed, [Name] stretched and began her morning routine as the sun rose in the sky. 

“Good morning Mash, Doctor…” the mage yawned, stepping down the hallway into the dining room.  
“Ah, good morning Master! Do you feel better this morning?” the Demi-Servant replied with a warm yet concerned look.   
[Name] simply nodded and took a seat at the dining table. Luckily, this wing of the facility had not been severely damaged due to its far range from the control room. Other Chaldea survivors were milling about discussing issues and eating. Dr. Roman cleared his throat and inquired “Mash has been telling me that you have had many issues with nightmares, is this correct?”   
[Name] was mid-chew when she froze and uncomfortably swallowed her remaining food. “Yes, that’s correct, but I’m doing fine now!” she quickly quipped. The last thing she wanted was to cause unnecessary worry for her companions. Romani eyed her suspiciously but shrugged it off, “Ah well, I can’t really push you to do anything but don’t be afraid to come to me for help. I have a medical degree for a reason!” he winked playfully. [Name] simply smiled and thanked the doctor for his invitation but then cleared her throat and swallowed. “Can we try to summon a servant or something today? We need extra hands for the fights upcoming in new Singularities.” Romani nodded “I agree, that would probably be the best course of action before tackling any new problems.” [Name] stood with her now finished tray and gestured to her companions to come along with a jerk of her head and a smile. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

“Sooooo, how exactly do we do this? I mean, we got Mash through a series of events but I don’t think that is possible to emulate again.” [Name] asked with an unsure grin. Da Vinci smiled and answered “The hero has to determine you worthy of their assistance, or else they simply won't show up at all!” [Name] gave a strange look at the Servant before sighing. “Of course it has to be this way, how will I expect any Servant to respond to a newcomer like me?”   
Romani laughed a little before responding “Don’t worry! I’m sure plenty of good heroic spirits will come to our noble cause. Just breathe and focus on what this mission means to you and they’ll show eventually.” [Name] gave another exasperated sigh and kept walking, unmoved by the doctor’s words until they reached the summon room. The air was crisp and laden with energy, as if the spirits were lingering around the mage already.   
“The chant is simple and it shouldn’t be too hard to set up because the circle is permanently laid in the ground for easier summoning.” Da Vinci placed a hand on [Name]’s shoulder while speaking. The Servant looked into the young mage’s eyes

“Just remember these words to summon your spirit: 

Let silver and steel be the essence.  
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation   
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall  
Let the four cardinal gates close.  
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.  
I hereby declare.   
Your body shall serve under me.   
My fate shall be your sword.  
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail   
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!  
An oath shall be sworn here!   
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.   
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!   
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,  
Come forth from the ring of restraints,  
Protector of the Holy Balance! “  
Da Vinci finished and added “Oh, if you wanted to summon a Berserker, then you would need extra words, but I don’t think we want to deal with one of those right now anyways!”

[Name] gulped and closed her eyes, trying to retain everything that she could.  
Taking a shaky breath, she stepped forwards to the magic circle while the others in the room stepped back to the wall. [Name]’s mind focused strongly on the horrid memories that had been plaguing her thoughts for days, and on the anger that came with those images. The drive to save the world had overcome her mind as she thought back to the helpless screams, Olga Marie’s last look of terror and the infuriating grin of that traitor Lev.   
Feeling the mana course through her body she began to chant the incantation that Da Vinci had taught her. Wind began to pick up in the room as [Name]’s voice slowly got louder and louder to match the intensity of the whipping winds. With a powerful shout she yelled “Come forth from the ring of restraints, Protector of the Holy Balance!”

A great shock went through her body as the mysterious figure’s footsteps could be heard landing on the hard floor. She opened her eyes, still dazed from the great loss of mana to see a tall man in a red cloak and black body armor. The last thing she remembered was the searing pain on her right hand as crimson insignias branded her skin, and the white flash of hair coming near at a lighting pace as she lost control of her legs and collapsed to the floor.


	3. First Singularity: Orleans

The archer dove forward as his master collapsed, catching her in his arms. Immediately, Mash and Romani ran to her side panicked. Da Vinci merely smiled comfortingly and walked forth “Don’t worry too much, she’s fine. She simply lost more mana than she was used to, as this was her first summon. [Name] should be fine with some rest.” Mash breathed a sigh of relief as she looked worriedly at her master before taking a step back. Romani turned to the newly summoned Servant curiously “Well, what’s your name then?” The tall man simply responded “I don’t remember, it seems that the unusual summoning has made my memories fuzzy. Just call me Archer.” Romani looked at the archer suspiciously, but simply drew his attention back to the master in Archer’s arms. Da Vinci observed [Name]’s still face and looked up to Archer “I know you just got here, but could you possibly help us carry her to the infirmary?”   
Archer sighed “That question was rhetorical, wasn’t it? Let’s go.” 

The smell of sterilization pierced [Name]’s nose as her eyes groggily opened to see a figure sitting on the bench next to her bed. He had hair white as snow, highly contrasting with his tanned skin. His handsome features were defined enough to be intimidating, but still youthful. Black tight fitting body armor complimented his form, while a dramatic red coat splayed out under his legs with metal accents adorning his body. The man stood, [Name] was surprised at how tall he actually was. “Took you long enough, Master. Have you recovered enough yet?” His deep voice smoothly rolled out of his throat. Wait, had he been watching her sleep the whole time? [Name] was dazed for a second before snapping out of it. “Ah, I’m fine thank you, but who are you?” The Servant sighed and answered “You really don’t remember summoning me a few hours ago? I should feel offended.” He smirked. Realization flooded her mind as she recalled the summoning, the strong winds, and a… figure?   
She straightened up “Oh, my name is [Name]. It’s nice to meet you…. uh, what’s your name?”   
“Just call me Archer. I don’t have a name.”  
She looked at him strangely but smiled and held out her hand “Okay then Archer, welcome to Chaldea.”

 

“...and that’s how we got here.” the mage explained to Archer as they walked down the hallway. [Name] was struggling to keep up with his long strides as she kept explaining “That’s why we need to go into these Singularities and save them while attaining as many servants as we can.” The door slid open to reveal CHALDEAS with Mash and Romani standing in front of the orb.   
“Ah [Name] you’re here! How do you feel?” the doctor exclaimed with excitement. [Name] smiled “Hi Doctor, I’m feeling better than ever! Those magical healing techniques are amazing.” Dr. Roman sheepishly grinned “Oh yeah, thanks!” He diverted his attention to the Earth rotating in front of him. “SHEBA has found another Singularity that can be saved, are you healed enough to travel there soon?” [Name] looked at Mash and Archer standing near her, each giving silent nods. [Name] turned to Romani “I think we’ll be ready to Rayshift, so please get CHALDEAS ready to jump.” They began walking to the coffins.  
Romani nodded and ran back to the control room. A short while later, [Name] heard the doctor’s voice from the intercom “You guys ready? Let’s see where this takes us!”   
A flash of white washed out their vision as a hole opened in the endless void, dropping the three out.   
[Name]’s eyes shot open as she sat up to find herself in a grass field on an endless plain. The two servants accompanying her stirred and woke as well. Mash was standing in the soft, green, rippling grass as a sweet breeze blew through. “I’ve confirmed the coordinates, we’re in the time of the Hundred Years War in France.” [Name] watched the waves of grass flow. “France, huh? It’s beautiful.” Archer stood as well “It won’t be if we sit here forever, let’s go find information.”  
[Name] watched the servant’s back as he turned and looked in the opposite direction. ‘What a grump.’ she thought rolling her eyes. As the mage stood and peered into the distance, an anomaly appeared in the corner of her eye. Drawing her full attention to the strange sight she was taken aback. A giant ring of light hovered menacingly in the blue sky above. “Hey Doctor? Is that normal? I’m sending visuals now.”   
Romani’s voice came back on the monitor “Hmmmm, nope. It’s probably one of the reasons for the strange occurrences happening, definitely magecraft… ah you guys should probably just focus on finding leylines and information for now though.” Mash nodded “Understood. Let’s explore and find a place to set up a circle.” She noticed movement in the distance behind [Name] and exclaimed “Oh, I see some people over there! Should we go try to talk to them and gather information, Master?” [Name] turned around to see the soldiers in the field. “I don’t know if that’s safe, but we could at least try. What about you, Archer?” The red archer studied the gathering before responding “I don’t see any point in just standing here anyways.” Mash nodded and replied “Right, they’re human so we can at least clear up any misunderstanding anyways.” The three began to walk towards the group of soldiers.

 

“This was a mistake.” [Name] groaned as the soldiers approached them with their blades drawn. “We’re not letting you fool us, witch’s servants!” A confused look flashed across [Name]’s face. “Wait, what witch?” The soldier snarled “The one that killed the King: Jeanne D’Arc!”   
Before any of them could react, Romani’s hologram appeared beside them. “Finally got a hold on the communications- wait, why are they pointing their blades at you?” The soldiers in earshot jumped a little upon hearing his voice and one proclaimed “They’re probably with the witch, let’s take them down!” Archer scoffed “Great, now we have to fight. Why did I know it was going to come to this?” [Name] rolled her eyes at his biting tone and turned to Mash “Whatever, just don’t maim them too badly. Use the back of your blade- er, shield.” she turned to Archer “And Archer, uh I don’t really know what you do yet. Just don’t kill anyone, got it?” To her surprise Archer summoned two blades in his hands. [Name] was about to question the choice of weapon before Romani exclaimed “They’re advancing, get ready to engage!”


	4. Moonlit Nights

[Name] exhaled in relief as the remaining soldiers fled back across the field in fear.  
“You really tossed them up good! Nice work guys.” Dr. Roman’s cheerful voice blipped in. Mash responded in a slightly peeved voice “Weren’t you the one that got us attacked in the first place…?” and like magic, Romani’s communicator was silent for a moment before his voice mumbled hastily about something ‘stopping working’ suddenly.  
[Name] sighed and shook her head in disappointment before speaking “Well, so much for that plan. We might as well begin the other tasks while we still have light.” she said as the began to move towards the forest on the outskirts of the massive plain. 

 

“So, what’s with the swords? Aren’t you supposed to be an archer?” the girl questioned casually to the red archer as they traversed the tangled woods. He didn’t cease his pace nor turn his head “It was easier for the situation at the time. I have a bow also.” [Name] just closed her mouth “Ah, I see.”  
To her relief, Mash’s voice cut through the awkward silence from up ahead. “I see a clearing in the trees over there, should we build our camp there Master?” [Name] nodded hastily and ran forwards in an attempt to catch up to her Demi-Servant, but her foot caught on a stray root. The mage flew forward in the air, about to pummel face-first into a tree.  
Then she stopped.  
Her face was only a few inches from the dirt as she felt strong arms around her waist. Slowly processing what just happened in the past few seconds, [Name]’s face began to burn as Archer supported her up from the ground and on her feet.  
“Be more careful next time, Master.”  
Planting her eyes firmly at her feet, [Name] squeaked a quick ‘thank you’ and briskly walked to where Mash was.  
‘Why do I always have to embarrass myself in front of him?’ her mind raced as her heart throbbed in her head. Before she could process her thoughts, Archer stiffened and whipped his head to glare at a spot in trees that was seemingly empty. “Master, I sense a presence. Be cautious.” his deep voice reverberated in [Name]’s head. Her gaze snapped up from the earth to gaze cautiously in the wood. A slight clinking of armor grew louder as the leaves and twigs snapped. Archer summoned his blades and ran in front of [Name] in a defensive stance.  
A long flagpole poked its way through the branches as a figure in blue stepped out of the brush. Her long blonde braid swinging with every step as her armor plates shifted making small clacks. The woman’s blue eyes were strong as her bangs brushed her eyebrows, and a metal ornament decorated the front of her hair.  
“A servant. Who are you?” Mash asked defensively with her shield at the ready. The woman held her hand up “I’m not here to fight, I’m the Ruler class servant. My true name is Jeanne D’Arc.” The three slowly lowered their shoulders and Mash spoke “Jeanne D’Arc… the witch?”  
Jeanne sighed “Yes, that’s what appears to be the situation right now, but we need to discuss more things.” Mash glanced at her master. [Name] lowered her shoulders completely and nodded “Okay, we’ll talk.” The Ruler smiled “Let’s take a seat for a moment.” After everyone had sat (except Archer, who insisted on standing guard), Jeanne asked “So, what are your names?” Mash responded “My name is Mash Kyrielight, and this is my Master, [Name].” The blonde turned Archer, who simply responded “I don’t have one. She is my Master as well.”  
The Ruler gave a confused look before quickly turning back to look at the mage. “Ah, so there are even Masters in this Grail War.”  
Mash shook her head “No, this as nothing to do with the Grail War. I’m a Demi-Servant, not a true Heroic Spirit.”  
Jeanne gave an even more quizzical look before speaking. “Oh, we should clear some things up then. I am indeed a Ruler class Servant, but much of the information in this Grail War is missing, and my stats have ranked down. I don’t have the anti-Servant command spells and I can’t reveal their true names anymore.”  
Mash turned to the Ruler. “So, is there another Jeanne D’Arc in this world who the people have dubbed the ‘Dragon Witch’?”  
Jeanne sighed “I’m afraid I only materialized in this world a few hours ago, I don’t know the situation fully yet; I’m not a completed Servant.”  
[Name] thought for a moment before looking at the Ruler, explaining Chaldea and their objective of saving the world from destruction. Jeanne listened carefully before responding “I see, so we need to prevent the world from burning down. My worries were so trivial compared to these.” She shook her head, blonde bangs moving fluidly with each movement. “It seems we need to find this other ‘me’ and stop the occupation of France.”  
Jeanne stood as she spoke. “Let’s gather a camp together and tackle the fight tomorrow after some rest. I hope you don’t mind me working with you for awhile.” she turned to look back at [Name] and smiled.  
[Name] smiled in return and stood to shake Jeanne’s hand. “Glad to you have you with us.”

 

[Name] rolled out the sleeping bag that Romani had so graciously Rayshifted for her and sat on top. Mash and Jeanne were on the other side of the clearing, talking and bonding out of earshot.  
“You know, this whole situation reminds me of my past life.” Archer commented passively, sitting on a nearby log. [Name] jumped a little at the sudden sentence and turned her body around to face the Servant. “What was your past like? We never really got to talk about ourselves, did we.” [Name] questioned curiously. Archer faced [Name] and responded “I wanted to save humanity from collapsing on itself.” The corner of his lips tugged up in a cynical half-smile. “How strange it is that I end up in the same situation.” [Name] averted her eyes from his piercing grey gaze, trying to not flush at the eye contact. “O-oh, I see. You must have been a noble hero in life with a goal like that.” Archer shifted his now slightly dark gaze to the grass beside [Name]’s propped up hand. “I’m no hero. There is no easy answer to my goal without bloodshed.”  
[Name] looked worriedly at her Servant before also settling her gaze on the ground, awkwardly tracing patterns in the dirt with a small twig. “Oh, I’m sorry if I offended you. Your words hold truth, I suppose.” Her (e/c) eyes glanced back up to Archer’s furrowed brow. “But it doesn’t make your cause any less noble. There will always be sacrifice in salvation, but it allows the world to keep growing. If anything, it makes you even braver to face such a task by yourself, Archer.” she smiled.  
Archer’s brow relaxed for a split second in surprise, but instantly returned to their serious state as he met [Name]’s gaze with a smirk. “You’re an interesting Master, I appreciate that at least.” [Name] only held his strong gaze for a second before blinking and returning to her dirt tracings in embarrassment. “T-thanks?”  
‘I genuinely couldn’t tell if that was a compliment….’ she thought with a confused face.  
Wind danced in her hair as the breeze rustled the leaves to dapple moonlit patterns on her skin in an ethereal glow. Archer was lost in following the patterns of the leaves’ shadows on [Name]’s form before tearing his gaze away to the dark woods behind her. He stood, catching [Name]’s attention. “You need to rest because you’re still human. We will watch over you.” he looked down at his Master with the same intense eyes, but a little warmth was peeking through his steely gaze. [Name] looked up to her Servant and smiled. “Thank you, Archer. Goodnight.”  
“Goodnight Master, sleep well."


	5. Heart to Heart

An intense searing caused [Name] to wince and pry her eyes open to see a familiar, fallen landscape. Smoke and heat clogged [Name]’s senses as the fire lapped hungrily at the rubble. The stench of iron and burning flesh was much more prominent than it had been before, causing [Name] to lurch forward and gag. Tears pricked at the corner of her tightly shut eyes when a hand placed itself gently on her shoulder. [Name] turned with wide eyes to see no one behind her, but a scene in the distance caught her eye. A little boy with red hair, covered in ash and dust, lay on the ruins barely moving. [Name] tried to get the boy’s attention, but her voice would not speak and her legs wouldn’t move. She watched as a man with a distraught expression in all black stumbled to the child. His hand gripped the boy’s and brought it to his face, crying of joy. [Name] couldn’t make out the voice over the roaring flames, but the scruffy man held the child while repeating a phrase in pure relief. The older man lifted the boy in his arms and began to walk away, but before he left, the boy turned over the man’s shoulder to look at [Name] with tired eyes and smiled.  
Her eyes jolted open as she shot up from the hard earth. Shutting her eyes at the sudden rush of dizziness, she covered her face with her hands, rubbing her eyes.  
Archer’s voice resounded besides her “Rough dream?”   
Sighing, [Name] nodded as she began to compress her sleeping bag into a tiny, compact cube. The Archer followed the movements of her hands with his eyes. “I guess technology has advanced, even for sleeping bags.”   
She laughed softly at his comment while she brushed herself off and stood. “Very trivial but still very useful, I guess.” [Name] looked around the clearing “Where are the other two?”  
Archer nodded his head towards the entrance of the forest. “They went to a nearby river to wash their faces or something like that, but not too far to contact.”   
They began to walk out of the woods as light from the rising sun began to appear in the distance. As they were traversing the underwood, Archer inquired casually “What was your dream about last night? I heard seemed distressed.” [Name] turned to Archer in surprise. Was he worried?  
“Uh, well it was just the Fuyuki singularity, but there was something different.” She furrowed her brow. “I think there was a boy alone in the rubble, but a man in black came and saved him. He smiled at me.”  
Archer stiffened visibly and stopped. [Name] noticed his sudden change in behavior and turned back to face him with worry. “Archer...?”   
He snapped out of his daze and walked back to [Name], his cool demeanor returning. “Yeah, just… I’m fine. Let’s keep going.” He spoke with a smile, but his voice still had a little hesitation.   
Archer passed in front of [Name], who started walking with uncertainty. “You know you can tell me anything, we need to trust in each other after all.”  
Archer turned his head to look at [Name] with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Was it relief, happiness or sadness? She couldn’t tell, but nevertheless, she quickened her pace to catch up with the Servant and placed her hand on his arm comfortingly. His grey eyes widened at the contact but a tiny twitch of his lips betrayed his cold shell. “Thank you, Master.”   
The warm hues of the sunrise just beyond the last of the treeline framed his white hair to create an ethereal glow, highlighting his profile and jawline.  
She blushed ‘Was he always so tall?” her mind raced with her heart, but a wide grin was forming on her face. “Let’s go meet them, I’m sure they’re waiting.” she gestured with her head as they began to walk side by side out of the trees.

Jeanne and Mash´s faces lit up as they saw the other half of their party emerging out of the treeline. ¨There you are! We've scouted the surrounding area for possible Leylines and leads. There are some small villages ahead we can visit and gather information on the way to Orleans.”   
[Name]’s stomach rumbled quietly to her chagrin. Her face went hot as the Servants chuckled.   
Jeanne spoke with an amused tone. “...and we can get food.”

“We’re nearing a town called La Charlie. Let’s see if we can find information here, but if not we’ll have to move closer- but I would like to avoid that as much as possible for our safety.” The Ruler spoke as they were walking along the dirt road. Suddenly, Romani’s urgent voice came on the communicator. “I’m detecting Servants up ahead on your current destination, but they’re getting further away!”   
[Name] felt a mound of fur climbing up her shoulders and head. “Oh Fou, do you see something?” She looked in the direction of Fou’s panicked noises and her eyes widened. “The town, it’s burning…” sharply turning her head to face her Servants she ordered assertively “We have to go help them, now! Follow me.” as the Servants nodded and began to run to the ruined town. 

“No lifeforms detected, there’s nothing alive left in this town.” the doctor’s voice came through the device. A shuffling could be heard from behind a building.   
Mash turned to [Name] “I heard a noise over there, Master.”   
[Name] nodded with a serious look and began to walk over to the noise. A figure robed in tattered garments emerged and groaned. Mash’s eyes darted over as more figures began emerging. “Master, they’ve been turned into the living dead. We have to scatter them.”  
[Name] grit her teeth and clenched her fists. “Then it cannot be helped. Everyone, they can’t be helped anymore. Let’s set them free.”  
Archer’s rich voice sounded in her head “I will provide support from back here. Don’t die.”  
The mage responded “Thank you, Archer. Warn us of anomalies you see.”  
The Archer made a noise that resembled an agreement and [Name] turned to blast a monster away with her magic. More came hurling at her when red arrows whizzed from the sky and mowed the crowd down. [Name] had no time to be surprised as more and more villagers came for her. She materialized a pistol and changed up the power in her palms. [Name] ducked under the grab of hungry arms to face it’s back and pulled the trigger. Magic energy shot from the barrel and the monster fell forwards on its face. Sweeping a low kick to disbalance the two closest to her, the mage placed her palms forcefully on both of their hoods and shot a blast to the remains of whatever was left underneath. A growl behind her caused [Name] to whip around to see a zombie inches from her. Before she could react, a group of red arrows pierced through its body and nearly touched [Name]’s chest.   
“Thanks Archer!” she sent in her mind before receiving a proud “Hmf” in return, as if to say ‘What did you expect from me?’  
Jeanne and Mash were fighting back to back as the last of the living dead were taken down. Everyone was panting heavily as [Name] looked grimly at the remains of the town.   
Dropping her head in shame she rambled “If only we had gotten here in time… we could have saved them. I’m so sor-”   
A hand on her shoulder stopped her ranting. “Don’t blame yourself, there was nothing we could have done.” the Ruler’s smooth voice sounded behind her. [Name] looked up in gratitude, when a roar cut her thoughts short. Giant wyverns were approaching the rubble. To everyone’s horror, they began to devour the corpses left behind and turned their attention to the group in front of them. Jeanne shouted in anger “Stop it!”  
Mash shook her head “There’s no point, we have to fight again. Are you okay to fight, Master.”   
[Name] nodded with anger burning in her eyes, but a familiar voice resounded in her head.  
“All of you, take shelter. I can handle this on my own, now go!”  
[Name] gave a confused look “Are you sure Archer?”  
“Yes, now go as far as you can and find a strong wall now!”  
[Name] and her Servants began to run to the further outskirts and crouched behind a distant wall.   
“Archer, we’re clear.”  
A red flash from a distant hill burned as an arrow whizzed at lighting speed. In a flash, a colossal explosion boomed as a ball of smoke and dust glowed from the impact site and the three ground servants braced the giant shockwave with grit teeth. After the dust had cleared, the three stepped out from behind the wall to find a flattened landscape of molten rock and ash. There was not a trace of wyverns left in one piece.  
Archer jumped from his post and joined the party as they stood by the destruction in amazement.   
“Those poor people, they had no part in this yet they were still killed.” [Name] spoke with quiet anger. Jeanne looked grimly at the landscape “That’s why she must be stopped, the other me.”  
In a frantic voice, Dr. Roman’s hologram appeared in front of them “The servants have changed course and are moving towards you! You’ve got to be kidding… there’s five and they’re moving fast. You have to run if you want to survive, go!”   
[Name] nodded and turned to her Servants, but Jeanne didn’t budge.   
“...I won’t run. I have to find out their true intentions first.” she proclaimed with burning eyes.  
Mash interjected “But-!”  
Romani’s voice came on again “There’s no use you can’t outrun them now. Prepare for confrontation.”  
Five Servants appeared on the scene, each with an ominous air surrounding them.  
“Oh, we are so fucked.” [Name] whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, this is my first fic on this site, and feedback would be very appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
